Yellowstone County Generating Station
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Yellowstone County Generating Station is an operating power station of at least 174-megawatts (MW) in Laurel, Yellowstone, Montana, United States. It is also known as YCGS.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Yellowstone County Generating Station | Laurel, Yellowstone, Montana, United States | 42.82853, -108.56853 (approximate)[1] |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Operating[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] | fossil gas: natural gas[8] | 174.6[9][4] | internal combustion[9] | 2024[8][2][7] |
CHP is an abbreviation for Combined Heat and Power. It is a technology that produces electricity and thermal energy at high efficiencies. Coal units track this information in the Captive Use section when known.
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NorthWestern Energy Group Inc [100%][8] | NorthWestern Energy Group Inc [100.0%] |
Background
The 175-MW Yellowstone County Generating Station, a USD 283 million facility located near Laurel, has faced ongoing legal challenges following the contestation of its air permit in a 2021 lawsuit by the Montana Environmental Information Center and the Sierra Club. The plant, situated along the Yellowstone River, is intended to serve customers of NorthWestern Energy, which operates in South Dakota, Montana, and Nebraska. Initially expected to be operational in 2024, construction of the facility commenced after the air permit was initially issued in September 2021.[10]
The plant is designed to feature 18 reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICE), each with a capacity of 9.7 MW. These RICE units are Caterpillar’s G20CM34 generators. Burns & McDonnell is the engineering, procurement, and construction lead on the project.[10] In May 2024, it was reported that the power station could be fully operational by July 2024. The plant has already been operating in a test mode, although it has faced significant opposition from the local community.[11]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ https://www.google.com/maps/search/Northwestern+energy+substation,+Laurel,+MT/@45.5652378,-109.1082372,10z?entry=ttu.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Landowners sue Yellowstone County commissioners in effort to block Laurel power plant". Q2 News (KTVQ). 2024-05-07. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230612184620/https://www.powermag.com/judge-rules-montana-gas-fired-plant-can-move-forward-while-landmark-climate-case-begins/. Archived from the original on 2023-06-12.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20230504211720/http://www.explorebigsky.com/northwestern-energys-laurel-project-brings-criticism-support-for-new-power-plant/48658. Archived from the original on 2023-05-04.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Montana Supreme Court hears arguments on permit for Laurel power plant". KTVH. 2024-05-16. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20230505023137/https://www.ecowatch.com/montana-judge-gas-plant-permit-cancellation-climate-change.html. Archived from the original on 2023-05-05.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 7.0 7.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240822202603/http://bigskybusinessjournal.com/2024/08/13/generating-station-completed/. Archived from the original on 2024-08-22.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 https://www.northwesternenergy.com/about-us/our-projects/yellowstone-county-generating-station/2021/10/21/northwestern-energy-s-laurel-generating-station-is-critical-to-an-even-cleaner-energy-future.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Yellowstone County Generating Station". Default. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2024-06-12.
{{cite web}}: Text "NorthWestern Energy" ignored (help) - ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Judge Rules Montana Gas-Fired Plant Can Move Forward, While Landmark Climate Case Begins". www.powermag.com. June 12, 2023. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Montana Supreme Court hears arguments on permit for Laurel power plant". www.ktvh.com. May 15, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of gas-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Oil and Gas Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
